APIdoc VS phpDocumentor 2

APIdoc

Inline Documentation for RESTful web APIs

phpDocumentor 2

PHP documentation generator based on docblock parsing.

Landing page //
2019-04-13

Landing page //
2021-10-15

APIdoc

Website: apidocjs.com
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phpDocumentor 2

Website: phpdoc.org
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APIdoc features and specs

Comprehensive Documentation
APIdoc automatically generates detailed API documentation from your source code annotations, helping ensure all endpoints are well-documented.
Ease of Use
The tool is easy to integrate into existing projects and allows developers to annotate in a familiar way using JavaScript comments.
Customization
APIdoc offers customizable templates, enabling teams to tailor the documentation's appearance to meet their branding or layout requirements.
Language Support
Although primarily designed for Node.js, APIdoc supports multiple languages, allowing for broader utility across different tech stacks.
Continuous Integration
It can be easily integrated into continuous integration workflows, ensuring your API documentation is always up-to-date with the latest codebase changes.

Possible disadvantages of APIdoc

Learning Curve
While Annotation is straightforward, developers unfamiliar with the specific syntax of APIdoc might find it challenging to start without proper examples.
Limited Advanced Features
APIdoc may lack some advanced features found in other documentation tools, such as detailed change logs or advanced search functionalities.
JavaScript Bias
The tool is primarily geared towards JavaScript, which might limit its appeal or effectiveness for developers working in non-JavaScript environments.
Dependence on Comments
APIdoc relies heavily on code comments, meaning incomplete or inaccurate comments directly affect the generated documentation's quality.
Manual Updates Required
Developers must ensure to update code comments consistently, as APIdoc does not automatically infer or generate documentation without proper annotations.

phpDocumentor 2 features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to APIdoc and phpDocumentor 2)

phpDocumentor 2

Documentation

60 60%

Documentation

40% 40

Documentation As A Service & Tools

54 54%

Documentation As A Service & Tools

46% 46

Knowledge Base

47 47%

Knowledge Base

53% 53

Development

100 100%

Development

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using APIdoc and phpDocumentor 2. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Social recommendations and mentions

phpDocumentor 2 might be a bit more popular than APIdoc. We know about 2 links to it since March 2021 and only 2 links to APIdoc. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

APIdoc mentions (2)

The Best API Documentation Tools for Dev Teams in 2023
Compared to the first three tools, apiDoc takes a different approach towards generating documentation. Rather than rely on an API definition file like OAS, apiDoc is a package that allows you to add documentation directly into your source code through annotations. While there are third-party libraries that can create OAS files based on code annotations, having this built-in makes apiDoc slightly better if you want... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
Rest API : After CRUD
You can find it here : https://apidocjs.com/. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago

phpDocumentor 2 mentions (2)

I've noticed this syntax around - is there any "official" place where it comes from?
I think you are talking about the comment which is a format called phpdoc. Source: over 2 years ago
End-User Documentation
I'm not sure if I want to include those guides in the DocBlocks for the functions, or as part of separate RST files that phpDoc.org supports. Source: over 3 years ago